Quantitative Research | PhD Thesis Research Design

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There is a widespread, but often implicit, assumption, especially in quantitative research, that research questions should be framed in general terms, and then opertionalize by means of specific sampling and data collection decisions. The assumption that questions should be stated in generic terms may derive in part from the views of logical positivism, in which casual explanation was seen as inherently involving general laws and the goal of science was to discover such laws. It also does not fit a great deal of research in the social sciences and in fields such as education, where particularistic questions can be appropriate and legitimate. It is especially misleading in applied research, where the focus is usually on understanding and improving some particular program, situation, or practice. Get expert support on Data Analysis Chapter Writing from Dissertation India.

These two types of questions are linked to the difference between a sampling approach and a case study approach to research. In a sample study, the researcher states a generic question about a broad population, and then selects a particular sample from this population in order to answer the question. In a case study, in contrast, the researcher often selects the case and then states the questions in terms of the particular case selected. Hire us for your Dissertation Statistics.

Both the approaches are legitimate in qualitative research. Qualitative studies often employ small samples of uncertain representativeness, and this usually means that the study can provide only suggestive answers to any question framed in general terms. Also, qualitative study can confidently answer such a question posed in particularistic terms. The selection of the particular case may involve considerations of representativeness, but the primary concern of the study is not with generalization, but with developing an adequate description, interpretation, and explanation of the case. Send in your requirement today at info@dissertationindia.com or call at  +91-11-45680335.